Motor driven surf boat



March 15, 1955 D. M.' STEELE MOTOR DRIVEN SURF BOAT Filed Sept. 4, 1951 INVENTOR. 490 vy/Pf 67551. E.

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United States Patent O MOTOR DRIVEN SURF BOAT Doty M. Steele, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application September 4, 1951, Serial No. 244,904

2 Claims. (Cl. 9-21) My invention relates to surf boards and more particularly to those surf boards which are driven by a motor mounted in the forward portion of the board, and the principal objects of my invention are, to arrange in the well or opening in which the motor is mounted a folding structure designed for detachably receiving and holding the motor in operative position, also to arrange in the bottom of said well, a flexible water deector which prevents said water from surging and splashing upwardly in said well onto the motor while the boat is in motion.

My present invention is an improvement on the surf board forming the subject matter of U. S. Patent Number 2,593,806 issued to me on April 22, 1952, on Surf Board With an Extensible Keel.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved surf board,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the surf board,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal section taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the folding engine mounting.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing, 10 and 11 designate respectively the front and rear sections ofthe elongated surf board which are detachably connected at the meeting joint by interengaging lugs 12 which receive removable pins 13. When the parts are detached from each other, they may be conveniently handled and placed in a car or storage space. Formed in the top central portion of rear member 11, is a pocket 14, which permits entrance of the carriers hand when lifting and carrying said member.

The under surface 1S of the rear portion of rear portion 11 dips or curves downwardly from a point about eighteen inches from the rear end of said portion 11, such dip or curve being approximately three-fourths of an inch and thus when said surf board is gliding forward, said curved under surface impinging on the water, tends to lift the rear portion of thc board and the weight of the rider, and at the same time the propeller of the motor tends to lift the front end of the board so that when operating at normal speeds the board travels forward on the surface of the water.

Formed in the rear portion of front member 10 and in the forward end of rear member 11 is a well 16 and secured to the wall 17 at the forward end of said well is a vertical panel or head board 18 the top of which is level with the top of member 10. Hinged to the upper edge portion of said head board so as to swing downwardly into the upper portion of the well is a panel 19 and hinged to the ends thereof so as to swing inwardly are short end panels 21. Said panel 19 at times forms an upward extension of said head board.

Hinged to the tops of panels 20 so as to swing inwardly are panels 21 which when swung upward into vertical positions above end panels 20 act as braces to engage in an edgewise mannerand to hold panel 19 in its upwardly extending position.

2,703,892 Patented Mar. 15, 1955 lCC Hooks 22 pivoted to the inner faces of panels 21 engage eyes 23 to secure the panel 19 in position for use.

Motor housing H is detachably connected to panel 19, when same is swung upward, by means of yoke Y which passes over the top of said panel and is secured thereto by means of set screws S.

The lower end of the motor housing passes down through the forward end of well 16 and carries the usual propeller P below said well. To prevent water from surging and splashing upward into well 16 and onto the motor while the board is in use, a rectangular horizontal panel 24 of rubber or rubber like fabric rests on horizontal anges 2S internally bordering the bottom of the well and said panel is secured to the flange 25 at the forward end only of the well by screws 26.

Panel 24 extends rearwardly in the bottom of the well to a point near the joint between the two sections 10 and 11, and formed in said panel is a circular aperture 27 for accommodating the lower 'end of the engine housing. From said aperture 27, the panel 24 is split rearwardly as designated by 28, to permit insertion of the motor housing extension while carrying the propeller P.

Panel 24 is formed of fairly stiff iiexible material and its function is to prevent water from surging upwardly and splashing onto the upper portion of the motor housing while the board is in service. During operation, the rider sits or stands on the rear portion 11 of the board and operates the motor controls (cords or wires) and when a certain speed is reached, the downwardly turned rear end 15 of rear part 11 exerts a lifting effect to counteract the weight of the rider, and this lifting effect is materially increased at the forward end of the board by the lifting action of the propeller operating at high speed, so that said board will travel forward practically on the surface of the water.

While not in use, motor M is removed from panel 19 and parts 19, 20 and 21 are folded into the upper portion of well 16. Pins 13 are now removed from lugs 12 andthe two parts of the board may now be readily carried and placed in a car or other storage space.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided a surf board which is simple in structure, inexpensive of manufacture and very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

Minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved surf board may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scrope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. An elongated surf board having a well formed in its forward part, a motor having a downward extension occupying said well, a propeller carried by said extension below said well, a vertical head board xed in the forward end of said well, a head board extension consisting of a panel hinged to the upper end of said head board and normally extending vertically up therefrom and affording a mounting means for said motor, end panels hinged to each other and to said head board, there being at each end of said head board a pair of said hinged to each other panels, in each said pair of panels one panel being hinged to said head board and the other panel of said pair being abuttable in an edgewise manner against said board extension at times to maintain the latter in its aforesaid vertical position, said panels which are abuttable against said head board extension being downswingable to pendant positions within said well to unobstruct downswinging of said head board extension upon the front part of the surf board, horizontal anges internally bordering the bottom of said well, and a horizontal panel in the lower part of said well, said horizontal panel resting on said ianges and being secured to at least one of them, said horizontal panel being provided with an aperture to accommodate the aforesaid downward extension of said motor.

2. A surf board as set forth in claim 1, and said horizontal panel being flexible and being split rearwardly from said aperture, thus providing for the insertion through said aperture of the aforesaid motor extension 1,824,887 Harvey Sept. 29, 1931 while the latter carries the propeller. 1,853,159 Welsh Apr. 12, 1932 2,389,729 Howland Nov. 27, 1945 References Cited in the le of this patent 2,451,781 Steele Oct. 19, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,523,909 Shryock Jan. 20, 1925 368,569 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1932 

